The next morning, Gray woke up, feeling as energetic as ever. He stretched his tired muscles and got out of bed.
Today was going to be a good day.
"La~ La~ la~"
Gray was humming a good tone. As he stood up, he went to the other side of their apartment and saw Lily, who was still sleeping peacefully.
Gray chuckled and shook his head. He shouldn't wake her up and make breakfast first instead.
Gray quietly tiptoed to their small kitchen area. He was careful not to disturb Lily's peaceful sleep. He opened the fridge slowly, finding a lot of their leftover from yesterday. He could have reheated it, but he wanted to make it special for the two of them.
As he cracked the eggs into a pan, Gray recalled how happy Lily had been yesterday. Her smile after eating a lot of food was really special.
It was small things like that, that made him keep going in the past.
The eggs sizzled in the pan, and Gray hummed again. He smiled to himself, thinking about all the things he could buy today.
When Gray was done making breakfast, he decided it was time to wake her up.
Gray walked over to her bed, standing by her side for a moment. She was curled up under the blanket and her hair was so messy.
"Hey stupidhead, it's time to wake up," Gray gently shook her shoulder.
"Brother!" Lily groaned and pulled the blanket over her head. "Five more minutes," she mumbled, still half asleep.
"Come on, come on. Breakfast is ready, and it's your favorite." Gray chuckled and nudged her again. "
Lily's eyes slowly opened, and she peeked out from under the blanket. The talk of food was enough to drag her out of bed. She yawned, stretched her arms, and smiled at Gray.
"Okay, okay. I'm up!" she was suddenly energetic.
"Good. Now go and eat already."
Lily nodded and jumped out of bed, now fully awake. She ran to the kitchen immediately. Her eyes light up as the sight of fried eggs and toast filled her eyes.
"Wow, brother! It smells amazing!"
"I told you it was your favorite." Gray laughed, glad to see her so excited.
Lily eagerly grabbed a plate and began piling the food on it.
"You're the best, brother!" she exclaimed, taking a bite of the eggs and then the toast. She chewed happily, making satisfied sounds between bites.
Gray quickly joined her at the table. They ate in comfortable silence for a while, savoring the warmth of the food.
After breakfast, they both started getting ready for the day. Gray pulled on a plain shirt and jeans, trying to look presentable, while Lily wore one of her favorite dresses, a blue puff dress.
The dress was a little bit big for Lily, but still, it was the nicest dress she had. It was also one of the few things that Gray could afford in the past.
"How do I look, brother?" she asked, spinning around.
"You look perfect, Lily. Are you now ready to go?" Gray couldn't help but smile.
"I'm ready!" Lily nodded enthusiastically.
The two of them left their apartment and made their way to the nearby mall. Gray was excited to see Lily's face once she saw the new clothes and toys she'd been dreaming of.
The mall wasn't too far, and soon enough, they were walking through the automatic doors of it.
"Which store should we go to first, Brother?" Lily asked as she bounced around.
"I don't know, Lily." Gray scratched the back of his head. He was also unsure, as it his first time to shop around.
Heck, it was his first time to receive $10,000 in one go.
"Go be crazy and I'll just follow you, okay?"
"Okay!"
And just like that, Lily dragged him around. The two of them went to a store that sells all kinds of children's things.
Lily picked out a few items. There was a stuffed bear and some clothes. Gray just let him do what he wanted. He just stayed on the side and watched her with a sense of pride, happy to be giving her this experience.
However…
"Wait a minute," he muttered to himself, feeling a bit of panic rising in his chest.
Gray's eyes widened. He quickly went through his pocket and then checked his wallet.
"Don't tell me…" His wallet was empty.
He forgot to ask the system where's the money!
Lily stopped bouncing and looked up at him.
"What's wrong, brother?"
Gray awkwardly chuckled. He had completely forgotten to check the money before they left.
"There's nothing wrong, just shop there okay? I'll stay on the side."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, go on."
"Alright!"
When Lily went to go around first, Gray faced the wall on one side.
'Okay system, how do I access that money?'
Suddenly, a soft ding echoed in Gray's ears. A small and glowing message also appeared in the corner of his vision.
[Ding!]
[You can access your funds via this card, Host.]
Before Gray could even react, something cool and smooth appeared in his right hand. He flinched in surprise, looking down at it.
'What the fuck?'
It was a sleek black card. It looked simple at first glance. There were no numbers, no name, just a silver logo at the center.
ABC Universal Bank.
"Whoa…" His eyes widened. still trying to process what just happened.
Not only did the system give him $10,000 to spend, but also gave him a card from one of the most powerful banks in the world!
"Okay... So I just swipe the card and it works? That simple?" He mumbled to himself,
[Yes, Host. The card will work in any store.]
"Guess it's really working, huh?" Gray looked up at the bright mall ceiling and let out a little laugh.
Just as Gray turned around, Lily came back with her arms filled with clothes and toys.
"Brother! I'm done!" she said brightly. "Look at all this! Can we get it all?"
"Of course. Let's go check out." Gray smiled and ruffled her hair.
They walked together to the cashier, who blinked in surprise at the pile of items being placed on the counter.
As the register beeped repeatedly with each scan, the total rose quickly. Gray watched calmly, now completely confident because he got the card with him.
The cashier finally looked up. "That'll be $738.95."
Gray nodded and pulled out the black card. He handed it over casually.
The cashier took one look at the card, and her eyes widened slightly.
'Woah! They don't look rich. Seems like I judged too early.' Her hands moved more carefully now as she took the card and slid it through the machine.
Beep.
[Transaction Approved]
"Thank you for shopping with us," the cashier said with a sudden polite tone, smiling as she handed the card back with both hands.
"Please come again."
[$738.95 has been deducted from your balance.]
[Available Balance: $9,261.05]
[Duration left: 30:46:09]